Finished restore... motor won't crank

[fmjnax]

I finished my boat restore and got the motor back on and wired up... except I can't get the darn thing to crank. I turn the key and get absolutely nothing. No sound, no clicks, no crank; NOTHING. Battery is freshly charged and I have tried another freshly charged battery as well. Terminals and connections are clean. I don't see any cut/exposed wires.

The motor is a 1984 Mariner 70hp. Any ideas where I should start looking? I don't have access to a DVA or an o'scope, but I've got a normal multimeter and a test light.

 

[oldman570]

Re: Finished restore... motor won't crank

Using the test light to check for battery at the selinod and work back from there to the key switch, be sure the fuse on the motor is good also. Go to 1Manual .com for wireing digrams if you do not have a manual. You will need adobie reader and have to let the info download as it takes some time. Max Rules is another site you can get wiring diagrams also.
Oldman570

 

[BonairII]

Re: Finished restore... motor won't crank

Neutral safety switch maybe? Or blown/missing fuse?

 

[fmjnax]

Re: Finished restore... motor won't crank

All fuses are good. I am able to jump the starter solenoid and get it to crank... but still nothing at the switch. Still trying to figure out how to test functions at the switch.

 

[oldman570]

Re: Finished restore... motor won't crank

If the control is equipped with a emergency kill switch be sure it is not in the wrong position. It should be on the control along with the key switch, and have a landyard and cilp on it. if it is in the wrong position it kills the power to the ingnition and the plugs will not fire. A quick check for spark at the plugs will tell the story.
Oldman570

 

[aussieflash]

Re: Finished restore... motor won't crank

If kill switch is active it will still crank.What about Mercury tilt switch??Your outboard is in the down position???sorry had to ask.

 

[fmjnax]

Re: Finished restore... motor won't crank

The kill switch needs to be replaced. When I replaced it, I found that it had seen better days. It practically felt apart in my hands when I took it out. So right now it is disconnected (how can I bypass it to continue my bench test? I'll buy a new one this weekend).

My neutral switch is being triggered, but I can't say if it is working or not. Is there a way to bypass it to check it out?

I'm not sure where my mercury tilt switch is located. I've tried to find it once before, without any luck. The motor is in the down position entirely (trim pump isn't hooked back up yet).

 

[fmjnax]

Re: Finished restore... motor won't crank

Ok, I found the problem. I was tracing the 12V from the battery back to the switch and noticed that somewhere in the middle I was losing it. I started to pull the harness back out... Some bloomin' idiot previous owner had spliced the 'B' (red) wire on the harness (couldn't tell you why) and their twisted connection had broken loose. I unwrapped the mile of electrical tape and saw that the red wire from the motor was nowhere near the red wire continuing to the switch. HA! I temporarily put them back together and turned the key and it started cranking and the choke was activating. Go flippin' figure! Now I have to go and put the control box back together for the millionth time... but at least this problem is solved!